(urth) Top Posting Makes The Theoanthropos Cry

[Dan'l Danehy-Oakes]

On 9/1/06, Transentient <transentient at gmail.com> wrote:
> Move to France. :) France has a language academy that officially
> decides what is and is not French. If a foreign word becomes overly
> popular, they come up with a Frencher word to replace it.

Yes, but they don't speak English very well there. My problem is
not a generic love of grammar for its own sake but a deep love
of the English language.

> English is as it is used, unfortunately, by any people who use it, no
> matter their level of education or sophistication.

This is undeniably true. Nor am I a complete grammar crank who
shudders at a split infinitive or a well-used dangling modifier. But
I think changes that weaken the language ought to be resisted, and
"author" as a verb weakens the language. I'm not going to give a
detailed explanation of why I think so -- this is still a list for discussing
the works of Gene Wolfe, last I looked, and not a grammarian's
alcove -- but I'll say that I can't imagine a case in which the shorter,
more direct "write" isn't better. "Never use two syllables when one
will do,"

Also: the Anglo-saxon word is almost always more powerful in
English than the Latinate. (Which is why I try not to refer to Wolfe,
or any other writer, as an "author.")

-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
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